The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-19

publlcatlon your views on The general business
and financial outlook of our State: the import
ance of State aid to the A. N. College and ths
Industrial Institute and College; also, your views
| az TO the importance of the State sustaining tbs
University by donations from the treasury. These
are matters that viii doubtless be considered by
the next Legislature, and their discussion by you
at this time, would be generally appreciated. Our
people approve of what the State has been doing
| of late years. for the education Of her sons and
daughters, and will ehserfully contribute what
may be reasonable to continue the good work.
Yosr ob't servant, l. B. HrGsIR.
l. r. HEGGIE-DEAR SIR: Your let
ter opens up wide field of enquiry, of
| the most interesting character, to the
thoughtful Mississippian. l shall not
be able, in any short space, to answer you
fully; but / will give you the main
points, with only comment enough for
properly understanding them.
Every rejecting person, who observes
closely what is going on in Mississippi,
and the condition of our people, will be
| satisfied that the present outlook is not
encouraging. If he seek remedy he
will probably find that any remedy
worth trying will be slow in its progress,
however efficacious it may be in the
end.
shall, in the outset, give some ac-
count of our
PAST AND PRESENT CONDITION,
and then discuss the remedies which ap-
pear to be in our reach; as all this will
be found very german to the enquiries
in your letter.
Taken all together, the lands in Mis-
sissippi are, or rather we're, the equal in
fertility, to the lands in any State in the
Union. Our prairie region, and what is
called the bluff region, embracing the
hill counties from Tennessee to Louis
lana, lying next to the Yazoo Delta,
and below Vicksburg, next to the Mis-
sissippi river, are Of the finest uplands
in the world. Our Yazoo Delta, four
fifths as large as the Nile Delta, on
which once hourished millions of peo-
pie, and many of the largest cities in
the world, is unequaled by any district
of the same size in the world. The re-
mainder of the State, though less fertile,
is by no means barren, but with its more
salubrious climate, it promises, with
good culture, the greatest and most
abundant yield to the labors of the far
mer.
The above is our natural condition. 1t
is the State as Coo gave it 10 US. With
this soil and climate, Mississippi was
once a great and prosperous State. By
the census of 1860, Mississippi was
shown to be the thirteenth State in the
value of her lands; the third State in
the value of her personal estate; and the
ninth State in both combined; and she
was the eighth State in per capita wealth.
In population she was only the four
teenth. This was
A SPLENDID SHOWING;
and even now, In our poverty and retro
gression, we can but think of it with
pride, and look on it with satisfaction
because it gives one the strongest assur-
that we may regain our lost rank, and
even advance it.
In 1870 she had retrograded to be the
twenty-sixth State in aggregate wealth;
the forty-frst State in per capita wealth;
and, in 1880, being then the eighteenth
State in population, she had retrograded
to be only the forty-sixth in per capita
wealth; only one of the Territories being
behind her in this respect. Yet whilst,
IN 1880, she was thus far out of her nat
ural rank, she was the thirteenth State
in the value of her agricultural produc-
ton. Put these together: In 1880, Mis-
sissippi was thirteenth in agricultural
pre- luction, eighteenth in population,
twenty-eighth in aggregate wealth, and
forty-sixth in per capita wealth. For all
this, see census of 1880, vol. 7.
The causes for this state of affairs are
manifold-some within our power to re-
move, and others not, so far as | can
see. At present, Mississippi is agricul-
tural-almost entirely. As yet, if we
have mines and ores, they are not de-
veloped, and l fear they are not inviting
enough to cause us to expect early
development. By the census of 1880
all persons in Mississippi engaged
in gainful occupations amounted
to 415,506. OF these there were
engaged in agricultural production
and stock raising, 40,651, leaving on
ly "A, ,955 for all other pursuits whatever.
So you see that our population, follow
ing natures provisions, are nearly all
agriculturists, and the remainder are
dependents on, or aids to, this principal
business. 1t thus appears, that if agri-
culture goes down, all else goes down
with it. Yet, with all this, we see the
extraordinary fact, that Mississippi is
still the
THIRTEENTH IN AGRICULTURAL PROD
UCTs.
How is it to be explained, that we pro-
duce so much and have so little? To
THE I will varv odd raro
First, you must remember, that it is
not gross or total production, but net
production that makes wealth. We may
sissippi, as we easily can, if we had the
population-yet, if we spend in makinS
it, and whilst making it, the whole
value of the cotton, we have not added
enc dollar to our wealth; and, / may
add, under our present syst m of cul-
ture, taking everything from mother
earth and re.arning moth sng-in the
shape of manure I'd fertiiz ,rs-we are
as much poorer as we have worn and
impoverished our lands. So then. at
the outset, is perceived not the causa
cansnss, or reficient cause, but the result
ant cause of our failure to advance in
wealth.
~ kU uoW ~ SUMO VI the causes
which, aggregating together, make this
disastrous result One of these is the
protective system, which makes us pay
more for what we buy-that others NAV
grow rich-and receive less for what we
sell. Another is, the large taxation for
national purposes-larger than the needs
of the Government-and the expendi-
ture Of an undue proportion of it on
other more favored sections. These are
some of the causes, which I think can
not be removed now We can only try.
with hopes of success hereafter.
But this alone would not make the
disastrous results, which we see all
around ms.
THERE ARE OTHER CAUSES,
here At home, and which we can remove
if We only knew how, and had the forti-
tude and seh-denial, to adopt the RENE
dies, in our reach. One of these causes.
and very potent one when the xppre-
gate result il noticed, is the fact that We
have now no employment for female
labor.
The nrooresa of invenfion h.. beer